A Kansas church group that abhors homosexuals and claims "God's hatred is one of His holy attributes" is planning a religious protest in Helena next month, targeting several area churches, the Montana Supreme Court, and the University of Montana.

The Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, Kan., gave notice in a fax Monday of its intention to picket Helena's "pro-gay" churches, as well as the "(homosexual)-infested" University of Montana.

"We need to be sure the people of Helena call to mind that there is a God, a standard, and a day of judgment, and it's not OK to be gay," Shirley Phelps-Roper, a member of the Westboro Church, said in a phone interview Tuesday.

The six Helena churches targeted by the group are the Calvary Baptist, St. Helena's Cathedral, St. Peter's Episcopal, St. Paul's United Methodist, Our Redeemer's Lutheran, and First Presbyterian.

"You can put this mess right at their doorstep," Phelps-Roper said of the six churches. "They've carried the big lie that God loves everyone. Does he love those people that have been burning in Hell since the flood? These churches have enabled the sin that plagues this generation."

The group called its arrival in Helena a "religious protest and warning" that was initiated by a Montana Supreme Court ruling that found that gay and lesbian partners of the Montana university system have the same right to health insurance benefits as their heterosexual partners.

The group's fax included a picture of the Montana Supreme Court, along with a reference to that court as the "People's Republic of Sodom."

Travis McAdam, research director at the Montana Human Rights Network in Helena, said the Westboro Church is led by Fred Phelps, the father of Phelps-Roper -- one of his 13 children.

Many of the church's congregants, which Phelps-Roper placed at 100, are related to Phelps by blood, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Phelps, along with his family, has made a career protesting gay and lesbian issues around the country, including the funeral of gay murder victim Matthew Shepard. The Southern Poverty Law Center has classified the church as a hate group.

"Communities have resoundingly rejected these people," McAdam said. "They're generally treated with scorn by the mainstream, and they're not able to generate much sympathy and support locally. They're really the nastiest of the anti-gay groups that are out there."

St. Paul's United Methodist Church, one of six churches targeted by the group in Helena, said it will stand by its Doctrine of Social Principles despite the group's attack.

Robyn Morrison of St. Paul's said those principles view both homosexuals and heterosexuals as being equal in sacred worth.

"All persons need the ministry and guidance of the church in their struggles for human fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional care of the fellowship that enables reconciling relationships with God, with others, and with self," Morrison read from the doctrine.

Morrison said St. Paul's would likely meet with the five other Helena churches to formulate an appropriate response to the group's protest.

"We're embarrassed by it for other Christians," Morrison added.

Monsignor Kevin O'Neill, of the Helena Diocese, called the group reprehensible and labeled its statements as vile and hate-filled.

"They don't seek to reside within the truth," O'Neill said. "Theirs is a narrow, bigoted mind, and you have to pray for them."

O'Neill said that while the church does not condone or promote the homosexual lifestyle, it does not discriminate against the sexual orientation of the individual.

The group's language, he said, is troublesome.

"The church does not condone this type of response," O'Neill said. "What they represent is indefensible."

The fax distributed by the Westboro Church goes on to thank God for the Indian Ocean tsunamis "that swept 20,000 Swedes and other (homosexual) perverts into Hell."

Phelps-Roper said the disaster was God's intention to punish a "filthy, disobedient generation."

"Who do you think sent that earthquake and tsunami that killed all those people," she said. "If your message doesn't line up with the scriptures, then it's not God's message."

The Westboro Church has gained the attention of equal-rights groups, including the Anti-Defamation League. The church's protest signs often bear such statements as "Hell is real: Ask Matt" -- a referring to the death of Shepard.

The ADL said the group's fliers, such as that received Monday, typically emphasize the race or religion of those it believes are gay. This, according to the ADL, suggests that the church's hate goes beyond it's abhorrence for homosexuals.

"What appears to be anti-gay rhetoric is often a vehicle for the church's anti-Semitism, hatred of other Christians, and even racism," the ADL said.

Reporter Martin Kidston can be reached at 447-4086 or at mkidston@hotmail.com.